Ritchie Bros. to host huge live auction in Geelong

GLOBAL equipment auction leader Ritchie Bros. is marking three decades of operations in Australia with an auction in Geelong, expected to be its largest live auction in Australia.

Since launching locally in 1995, Ritchie Bros. has grown from a single auction yard into a market leader in unreserved auctions for heavy equipment, machinery and industrial assets.

Ritchie Bros. now operates as part of RB Global, and to mark the 30-year milestone, RB Global chief executive officer Jim Kessler will attend the landmark live auction event, which begins tomorrow (Wednesday, June 18) and runs until Friday, June 20.

The event at the Ritchie Bros. site in O’Briens Road, Corio will feature 3,800 pieces of equipment, making it the largest auction by lot count in the company’s Australian history, and is expected to attract more than 3,000 attendees per day.

The assets going under the hammer are available to view on the Ritchie Bros, auction website. They include prime movers, tipping trailers, excavators, dump trucks, graders, and tractors.

As part of the anniversary, the event will include a one-off return of Ritchie Bros.’ signature live theatre format – last held in 2019 – with internationally renowned Canadian auctioneers flown in to lead the proceedings.

“Australia is an incredibly important part of our global network in terms of market activity, volume and demand,” Mr. Kessler said.

“Our 30-year milestone here reflects the scale and resilience of our local operations, the calibre of our local team and the strength of our relationships with our partners.
“We’re proud to be here to celebrate as we continue our long-term growth and value creation strategy.”

In 2024 alone, Ritchie Bros. sold more than 15,000 lots across Australia, with strong growth across digital platforms and high-demand sectors.

“We are very excited to welcome our global leadership and invite buyers and sellers to join us in celebrating this milestone auction,” Ritchie Bros. Asia-Pacific sales director Dom McGlinchey said.

“This event is a clear demonstration of the scale we’re capable of delivering and a reflection of the strong customer relationships we’ve built over the past three decades in Australia.”

For more information, head to rbauction.com.au